# Pipe bowl cleaning



## DonCarlos (Jul 22, 2008)

In norway we do not have everclear or anything that strong without odour. The best thing I can find is antibac 75% ethanol with glycerol...would that be ok to use? thinking of the glycerol..:bl


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## Professor Mike (Jun 25, 2008)

Glycerol is a trihydric alcohol(CH3OHCHOHCH2OH) a byproduct of rendeing fats. Also used as a solvent. Completely soluble in water and alcohol. It has an extermely sweet taste that might be left in your pipe. I've never tried it so I can't say how it might effect the taste of the pipe after use. 
I would use extreme caution.:2

Mikep


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## FrequenC (Jun 30, 2008)

DonCarlos said:


> In norway we do not have everclear or anything that strong without odour. The best thing I can find is antibac 75% ethanol with glycerol...would that be ok to use? thinking of the glycerol..:bl


Glycerol AKA Glycerine is just another alcohol, it's a sugar alcohol. It is known to be pretty thick but I'm not sure how it is mixed with the ethanol. Glycerol has a low toxicity level so I don't think it would be a problem but I'm not 100% sure.

You could easily use any whiskey, bourbon, rum or vodka and it will work well enough!


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## Arizona (Jul 19, 2007)

Professor Mike said:


> Glycerol is a trihydric alcohol(CH3OHCHOHCH2OH) a byproduct of rendeing fats. Also used as a solvent. Completely soluble in water and alcohol. It has an extermely sweet taste that might be left in your pipe. I've never tried it so I can't say how it might effect the taste of the pipe after use.
> I would use extreme caution.:2
> 
> Mikep


Wow Mike I feel like Gilligan listening to the Professor explaining something to me! LOL

As to our original poster: Try that stuff on a "NOT your favorite pipe" first and make sure it's OK and doesn't give you any undesireable after effects. If it does then that old pipe you really never cared for anyway can get tossed and you won't be having regrets.


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## maboman (Feb 27, 2008)

DonCarlos,

IMHO why risk it? Just use 86 proof or higher bourbon or vodka....any taste will be gone after a bowl or 2. and it works just as well

Maboman p


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## DonCarlos (Jul 22, 2008)

Thanks for the prompt reply guys I will not risk it


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## JaKaAch (Sep 17, 2006)

I use Bacardi "151" Rum. Is that available in Norway?


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## Demented (Nov 7, 2006)

Prefer bourbon or scoth for cleaning my pipes, I like the flavor. Most any vodka will clean the bowl well and leave little or no after taste.


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## DonCarlos (Jul 22, 2008)

We have bacardi and vodka of course but isnt it a bit on the weak side(too much water) in 40%ethanol?


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## JaKaAch (Sep 17, 2006)

Bacardi "151" is 151 proof..I think that means its 75% alcohol.


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## Demented (Nov 7, 2006)

151 proof is 75.5% alkeyhol.

I've been cleaning my pipes for more than 10 years with bourbon or scotch, can't say that it has hurt them. They dry out within a day and smoke fine after that.


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## DonCarlos (Jul 22, 2008)

Ok, the limit in norway is 60% alcohol. but that should do the trick.. Ill use a cask strenght whisky thenp


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## Ridge Runner (Sep 4, 2008)

As a newbie to pipe smoking, I find this thread to be interesting. May I ask how and how often I should clean the bowl of my pipe? and will Moonshine work?


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## Professor Mike (Jun 25, 2008)

Ridge Runner said:


> As a newbie to pipe smoking, I find this thread to be interesting. May I ask how and how often I should clean the bowl of my pipe? and will Moonshine work?


Ridge Runner:
Moonshine will work well. It is mostly Ethanol C2H5OH. Produced from the fermentation of grain usually corn,sugar and yeast and then distilled to remove any impurities.

Mike


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## Rolando (Jul 17, 2008)

Ridge Runner said:


> As a newbie to pipe smoking, I find this thread to be interesting. May I ask how and how often I should clean the bowl of my pipe? and will Moonshine work?


Not very often if you take good care of it. Cleaning with a pipe cleaner or dry cloth after it has cooled should take care of it for quite some time.

I abuse mine a little. I smoke while I work but I very often let it go out and then it might be 20-30 min later before I relight. As such the tobacco sits in the pipe much longer than it should which will sour the pipe sooner than normal.


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## dillonmcmurphy (Aug 5, 2008)

Ridge Runner said:


> As a newbie to pipe smoking, I find this thread to be interesting. May I ask how and how often I should clean the bowl of my pipe?


I would recommend that you alcohol clean your pipe with a strong grain alcohol (everclear if you can get ahold of it, or if you prefer you can use strong whiskey, or rum) to clean out your pipe every 7 smokes or so, but at least after 10 smokes. It just helps to keep it tasting sweet and not getting sour. For great vids on pipe cleaning go to:
http://www.youtube.com/user/dubinthedam

Cheers!


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## Rolando (Jul 17, 2008)

dillonmcmurphy said:


> clean out your pipe every 7 smokes or so, but at least after 10 smokes. It just helps to keep it tasting sweet and not getting sour.


Do you really clean the bowls that often? Wow. I don't keep close track but I am probably 3-4 times that with the bowl. 7ish smokes for me it is time to clean the stem with alcohol but not the bowl.


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## DonCarlos (Jul 22, 2008)

That is more often than I clean my pipes to. The one that I will clean had a 1mm+ layer of soft tar and I scraped it off. but its probably time to rinse it with alcohol to prevent it from getting sour.

I love that my thread recieved some interrest:tu


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## DonCarlos (Jul 22, 2008)

I took your advice seriously and decided to buy a Lagavulin 12year Cask Strenght Special Release (56.4%) Bottled in 2007. It tastes great, one of my favourite Islays.

Back to the topic: it worked great. But im concerned that I migh have overdone it in my attempts to get it in superb condition. The pipe is a Stanwell Hans Christian Andersen 2 polished. this pipe comes pre-carbonised..and now I can see the briar some places inside.

Did I do a bad thing?

I thought I was beeing carefull:BS I first used about =.5-1cl spirits, bristle pipe cleaners, then q-tips followed by regular fluffy pipe cleeaners


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## Rolando (Jul 17, 2008)

Well it is not the end of the world but you really should not be cleaning the bowl at all until it has been seasoned. Never pour the alcohol into the bowl always put it on the pipe cleaner. Put those bristle cleaners away when it comes to bowl cleaning until the pipe needs its first reaming. 

When you clean the pipe you are not shooting for clean enough to eat off of it. Let the alcohol do most of the work and gently clean it.


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## DonCarlos (Jul 22, 2008)

I did apply the alcohol to the cleaners. I believed it to be broken in properly. I have been very careful about smoking it all the way down and it has probably been smoked about 50 times by now. I believed it to be in need of a reaming due to a thick layer of soft black nastiness.

I have always cleaned it with pipe cleaners after smoking before, but i smoke to fast..could that be the reason for this?


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## Rolando (Jul 17, 2008)

Maybe the areas where you see the briar again the seasoning is too thin. It is not always even. Can you post a picture of the pipe?


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## DonCarlos (Jul 22, 2008)

I can post a picture of it, but I dont believe that this would be visible on a picture..


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

DonCarlos said:


> I did apply the alcohol to the cleaners. I believed it to be broken in properly. I have been very careful about smoking it all the way down and it has probably been smoked about 50 times by now. I believed it to be in need of a reaming due to a *thick layer of soft black nastiness*.
> 
> I have always cleaned it with pipe cleaners after smoking before, but i smoke to fast..could that be the reason for this?


A proper cake will be hard black nastiness, not soft. If you smoke too fast or too soggy, all that gets deposited on the bowl walls is goop. Now that its off, start afresh and smoke slower, sipping instead of huffing and puffing. You will get a hard crusty carbon coating (cake) which is what is desired.


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## maboman (Feb 27, 2008)

My take is this...

Honestly I have been smoking on an almost daily basis for about 7 months now. I have 2 pipes that I smoke daily, a Bjarne freehand I bought on ebay and a stanwell vario I bought from smokingpipes. Neither of these pipes has seen anything but a virginia or virginia mixture since I bought them. Now I have smoked several brands from both pipes, McClelland, SG, GL Pease, A&C etc. 

As I said I have smoked Virginias , Va/Pers and lately Va/Oriental (in the stanwell). The Bjarne is now dedicated to pure Va only.

I can honestly say that I have never "cleaned the bowl". I have reamed them both lightly a couple of times and I clean the stems with Bourbon every 10 smokes or so and maybe run the tip of a pipe cleaner around the bowl after dipping it in bourbon a time or 2, but I have never filled the bowl with salt/ cotton balls etc and soaked it.

I do make sure to run pipe cleaners down the stem after EVERY smoke to help soak up moisture and I the leave the pipes upright on the pipe stand. most days I smoke a bowl in the morning, generally the Stanwell and then a bowl at night in the Bjarne. I also take the pipe apart before each smoke and run pipe cleaners through them thoughoughly before I smoke. I have on many occasions (my days off) smoked 2 to 3 bowls out of one of the pipes.

I can say honestly that I have never tasted the slightest hint of souring in either one.

Your results may vary, but as long as you keep the stem clean, let a good cake form, and puff slowly I think you'll be ok...

Just my :2 but I'm far from an expert! 

maboman p


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## dillonmcmurphy (Aug 5, 2008)

Rolando said:


> Do you really clean the bowls that often? Wow. I don't keep close track but I am probably 3-4 times that with the bowl. 7ish smokes for me it is time to clean the stem with alcohol but not the bowl.


By alcohol clean I didn't mean cleaning the bowl. I simply meant getting a bit of alcohol on the end of a pipe cleaner and running that through the stem and shank like you would with pipe sweetner. Then every couple cleanings like that I'll take the alcohol dipped pipe cleaner I just used and I'll run it around the bowl a few times (very lightly I might add).


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## Vrbas (Sep 17, 2008)

So if i were to drop by the local grocery store and pick up some 90% alcohol... you know just the sterilizing stuff, and used that to sweeten my pipe (in combination w/ non-iodized salt), should i be worrying? Just makin' sure i'm not destroying the pipes, not that they are that valuable anyways.


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## DonCarlos (Jul 22, 2008)

I find it impossible to smoke slow..I really try. 10 sec I believe is my desired time for each puff


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## wharfrathoss (Dec 27, 2006)

unless the pipe is an estate new to you, has gone sour or you want to switch the type of tobac you smoke in it (like english to VA) there's really no need for the salt/alcohol treatment-i just use a pipe cleaner or paper towel to clean the interior of the bowl, no alcohol involved-this is in regards to regular maintenance, after a cake has been built-when building cake, just shake the ashes in the bowl w/your thumb over it then dump 'em out, not wiping the bowl at all-the only part of the pipe i use alcohol on regularly is the bit & stem, & that's just once a month-none of my pipes have gone sour & i'm not exactly easy on 'em


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## dillonmcmurphy (Aug 5, 2008)

Yeah. I just do the bit of alcohol on a pipe cleaner wiped inside the bowl every once in a while to kind of prevent the pipe from souring. Plus I just like the smell and taste of a drop o whiskey in my pipe lol


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## Rolando (Jul 17, 2008)

Vrbas said:


> So if i were to drop by the local grocery store and pick up some 90% alcohol... you know just the sterilizing stuff, and used that to sweeten my pipe (in combination w/ non-iodized salt), should i be worrying? Just makin' sure i'm not destroying the pipes, not that they are that valuable anyways.


That is a pretty radical move. Is there a reason?

The bowl of a pipe is like a fine piece of furniture. You should only clean it with a solvent when it is absolutely necessary.

Put your pipes up clean and dry that is your best prevention to a pipe souring. Smoke your pipe in a reasonable amount of time. If you are like me and a single bowl takes 3+ hours expect it to sour a little over time.

Wait until the pipe HAS soured before cleaning the bowl. After you have done this for some time you will get a feel for the schedule of how often the bowl needs cleaning.


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## Doc Holiday (Jul 14, 2008)

wharfrathoss said:


> unless the pipe is an estate new to you, has gone sour or you want to switch the type of tobac you smoke in it (like english to VA) there's really no need for the salt/alcohol treatment-i just use a pipe cleaner or paper towel to clean the interior of the bowl, no alcohol involved-this is in regards to regular maintenance, after a cake has been built-when building cake, just shake the ashes in the bowl w/your thumb over it then dump 'em out, not wiping the bowl at all-the only part of the pipe i use alcohol on regularly is the bit & stem, & that's just once a month-none of my pipes have gone sour & i'm not exactly easy on 'em


I havent been smoking pipe that long, but I have to say I've been pretty lax about cleaning the bit and stem with alcohol. I'm really glad to see you only clean once a month. 
Is this about the norm for others here?


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## Rolando (Jul 17, 2008)

Doc Holiday said:


> I havent been smoking pipe that long, but I have to say I've been pretty lax about cleaning the bit and stem with alcohol. I'm really glad to see you only clean once a month.
> Is this about the norm for others here?


It depends on how many pipes you own and how often they get used. If you owned only a single pipe and you smoke everyday you probably need to clean the stem with alcohol once a week or so.


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## Doc Holiday (Jul 14, 2008)

Rolando said:


> It depends on how many pipes you own and how often they get used. If you owned only a single pipe and you smoke everyday you probably need to clean the stem with alcohol once a week or so.


Yes sir, I sure did a poor job of asking that question.

How about this.

On an average, how many times do you think you smoke a pipe before you clean the stem and bit with alcohol?


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## Vrbas (Sep 17, 2008)

Rolando said:


> That is a pretty radical move. Is there a reason?
> 
> The bowl of a pipe is like a fine piece of furniture. You should only clean it with a solvent when it is absolutely necessary.


I bought some old estate pipes and one had cake the thickness of a nickel and then some... so i figured since they weren't mine to begin w/, i'd like to start anew, if that makes sense.

Also, note to self: Don't use alcohol to clean the mouth piece.


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## Rolando (Jul 17, 2008)

Doc Holiday said:


> Yes sir, I sure did a poor job of asking that question.
> 
> How about this.
> 
> On an average, how many times do you think you smoke a pipe before you clean the stem and bit with alcohol?


Probably every 7-12ish. There is no harm in cleaning the stem so no reason to extend it. Good pipe cleaner habits after the pipe has been used will help you extend the number of uses.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

DonCarlos said:


> I find it impossible to smoke slow..I really try. 10 sec I believe is my desired time for each puff


Slow as in sip from the pipe - not slow frequency of puffs.

Sip from the mouthpiece as though you're savoring a fine aged cognac. It will keep a cool burn and still delivery a great flavor and volumes of smoke. You can draw as much and as often as needed, just each "puff" should not be a puff, but a sip - slowly pull the smoke into your mouth. It makes a great difference to the burn, keeping the fire going slow and cool and dry.


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## DonCarlos (Jul 22, 2008)

RJpuffs said:


> Slow as in sip from the pipe - not slow frequency of puffs.
> 
> Sip from the mouthpiece as though you're savoring a fine aged cognac. It will keep a cool burn and still delivery a great flavor and volumes of smoke. You can draw as much and as often as needed, just each "puff" should not be a puff, but a sip - slowly pull the smoke into your mouth. It makes a great difference to the burn, keeping the fire going slow and cool and dry.


Why didnt anyone explane this before, thanks alot (Honor)


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